Movable prefabricated fireplace and handling hanger attachment therefor



Dec. 6, 1966 G. B. PRATHER MOVABLE PREFABBICATED FIREPLACE AND HANDLING HANGER ATTACHMENT THEREFOR Flled Aprll 5 1965 t L m F nwmwm ALFRE D G. B. PRATHER Dec. 6, 1966 A. G. B. PRATHER 3,28%,fi66 MOVABLE PREFABRICATED FIREPL HANDLING HANGER ATTACHMENT T AGE AND HEREFOR 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 5, 1965 A. G. B. PRATHER 3,289,666 MOVABLE PREFABRICATED FIREPLACE AND HANDLING HANGER ATTACHMENT THEREFOR Dec. 6, 1966 5 Sheets-$heet 5 Filed April 5, 1965 M ALFREDG B PRATHER flzwzw United States Patent ()filice 3,289,666 MOVABLE PREFABRICATJED FIREPLACE AND HANDLENG HANGER ATTACHMENT THERE- FOR Alfred G. E. Prather, 9906 Lincoln Ave, Lanham Park, Lanham, Md. Filed Apr. 5, 1965, Ser. No. 445,549 4 Claims. (Cl. 126-420) This invent-ion relates to movable prefabricated fireplaces and handling hanger attachment therefor, as for loading on or unloading from a delivery vehicle or moving crane.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a source of ready-built fireplaces and barbecue pits for installation on the site in finished form ready for immediate use after proper placing in suitable spaces provided therefor.

A further object is to make a standard base frame over which various types of fireplaces may be built to meet several different requirements of use, as e.g. for the living room, old style kitchen or indoor or outdoor barbecue pits, etc.

A further object is to adapt special handling means for these fireplaces with this standard base frame to facilitate loading a complete prefabricated fireplace on and unloading it from a delivery vehicle or moving crane, for transporting it over long distances, or moving it to its proper place at the site where it isto be used.

Another object is to make movable ready-built fireplaces with an ash dump hole in the fireplace floor which is substantially aligned vertically with the center of gravity of the fireplace so that the suspension shaft of a simple hanger attachment may be readily passed through the floor to support it from underneath for lifting and handling the suspended fireplace in a substantially stable upright position while in the air.

Other and more specific objects will become apparent in the following detailed description of some preferred novel forms of fireplaces and their handling means, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred simple form of prefabricated fireplace, having a substantially centrally located ash dump hole in the floor of the fireplace in accordance with the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another form of simple fireplace with a similar location of the ash dump hole,

FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views from the front and rear of a standard base frame that may be used for many different forms of fireplaces to be built around it, having a substantially centrally located ash dump hole coincident with the opening in the top of the base frame,

FIG. 5 is a sectional view in elevation of a fireplace with a chimney taken on the line 55 in FIG. 6, and showing apparatus attached to it for lifting the completed fireplace and stabilizing it during handling and/or movmg operations.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the fireplace and lifting hanger attachment taken on the line 66 of FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view taken laterally of a fireplace of the type shown in FIG. 2, showing how the hanger attachment may be applied for lifting and stabilizing the fireplace on it while it is moved, loaded or unloaded by a crane,

FIGS. 8 to 14 show details of this hanger attachment,

FIG. 15 and 16 are modifications of the base frame shown in FIGS. 3 and 4,

FIG. 17 is a form of sheet material that may be used in building the chimney portion of the fireplace shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and

FIGS. 18 to 21 show details of the hanger attachment and stabilizing means that may be used on a fireplace with a chimney portion.

It has been customary, in the past, to build each fireplace on the site, with or Without previous design and/ or prefabricated parts, at a considerable expense; usually requiring experienced stone-masons or bricklayers to come in at the proper time in the course of construction of the building, in or near which the fireplace it to be located, and to provide the small individual batches of special brick or stone, cement, etc, for each fireplace.

Delays in getting this special work done have also caused many unnecesary and costly delays in the overall construction of the building.

The present invention provides a source for ready-made fireplaces movable for installation in finished form, in any number and suitable types, as complete units in all the required places in any large or small construction project, without interruption in the building schedule around these places. Valuable lawns and gardens need not be damaged around the site of an outdoor fireplace or barbecue pit of this type, which avoids the trarnping over the lawn and plants by workmen and materials normally required in building the fireplace on the site. No delays are thus encountered in the completion of the installations, whether they be indoors or outdoors, .and the fireplaces may be made more economically and of uniformly high quality under proper aging conditions in their prefabrication by experienced specialists.

The fireplaces made in accordance with the present invention may be built over and around a base frame forming a support platform for the floor of the firebox, having a central opening for dumping ashes therefrom through a registered opening in the platform into the ashpit, which is enclosed by the sides of the base frame extending downwardly from the platform to an outwardly extending base flange substantially all around the base frame.

The base frame serves not only as a guide form around which the fireplace is built, but provides a central reenforcement to the fireplace structure, so that it may be safely handled by simple lifting means, placed under the platform of the base frame, over and around the center of which the entire load is substantially balanced. Sheet metal 'laths may be spot welded over and around the outside of the base frame to provide a strong surface binding between the base frame and the cement mortar used in building the fireplace over and around the base frame, making the entire structure substantially monolithically crack resistant.

The ash dump opening or hole in the bottom or floor of the firebox of the fireplace and the registering opening in the support platform of the base frame are thus substantially aligned vertically with the center of gravity of the fireplace, so that the hanger shaft extending from a lift plate of a hanger attachment may be passed up through these openings to place the lift plate under the support platform so that the fireplace may be readily handled by attaching the hanger shaft to a boom or crane for loading or unloading the fireplace onto or from a transport vehicle for delivery, or by attaching it to any other lifting and moving means that may be used for placing the fireplace at the site where it is to be installed.

The hanger shaft may be provided with a clamping nut to be threaded down against the top of the firebox floor to firmly lock the lift plate under the floor to stabilize the fireplace on the hanger attachment. The hanger shaft will normally extend into the chimney portion of a chimney type fireplace, where it may be provided with brackets that swing outwardly to the sides of the shaft against opposite sides of the inner wall of the chimney to further steady the fireplace 011 the hanger attachment.

Referring to the illustrations in the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 show two simple forms of fireplaces that may be prefabricated and provided with an ash dump hole 24 in the floor 22 of the firebox. The fireplace in each case is provided with side walls 24 and 26 supporting the floor 22 at a level spaced above the bottom of the sides to provide a space for the ash pit 28 under the floor. The sides may have base flanges 30 to provide a larger base area for a firmer footing on weak or soft foundations. The form shown in FIG. 1 has its firebox Open at the front and back, the ash pit having a closure wall 32 in front, the rear wall (not shown) having a door opening for removal of ashes, and for access in applying hanger means through the ash dump hole from the ash pit. As shown in FIG. 2, the ash pit may be left open at front and rear, and the firebox closed at the rear by a wall 34.

The fireplaces may be built over and around a base frame 36 such as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, having a support platform 38 for the firebox floor 22, with an opening 49 to register with the ash dump hole 20. The sides 42 and 44 and the front and back sides 46 and 48 respectively, extend downwardly from the sides of the support platform 38 to a base flange 50 extending outwardly all around the base frame. The sides and platform thus enclose and form the lining of the sides and top of the ash pit 28, and also provide a reenforcement for the fireplace structure. In order to secure a strong bond between the base frame and the mortar used in building the fireplace around it, sheets of metal lath 52 may be spot-welded to the outside of the base frame, as shown e.g. in FIG. 3 at 54. The back side has a door opening 56 for access to the ash pit.

A chimney type fireplace made in accordance with this invention is shown in FIGS. and 6, wherein the chimney 57 is built over a form 58, which has a back 60 and side flanges 62 lining the back of the firebox, and a pyramidal dome 64 extending from the upper edges of the sides, back and front of the firebox 2S upwardly to the bottom of a substantially square conduit 66 forming the inside of the chimney wall 68. If the chimney is built of bricks, they may be laid in staggered rows over the sloping sides of the form at the base of the chimney to form stepped shelves '70 along the sides and front of the chimney.

The front of the firebox floor 22 and the portions of the sides 24 and 26 below it, may be extended forwardly as shown in FIG. 6, to provide an extended surface heating area which may be covered by a grate or heating plate 72.

The chimney is substantially vertically aligned with the ash dump hole and the center of gravity of the fireplace so as to facilitate its stabilization on the hanger attachment by means of bracket rods '74 swingable outwardly from the hanger shaft 76 against the opposite sides of the inside wall 63 of the chimney, thus reducing the strain on the clamping means over the floor of the firebox on the lower portion of the hanger shaft, if used as shown.

The clamping means may comprise a larger lifting plate 78 having a hanger shaft 76 extending upwardly therefrom through the opening id in the support plate 38 and the ash dump hole 20 in the floor 22, a washer plate fit passed freely over the top of the hanger shaft 76, the lower portion of which is threaded to receive a wing nut 82 for clamping the washer plate firmly over the floor 22 to steady the fireplace against shifting or tilting on the hanger plate 78. The shifting may be further prevented by a block 84 fitting in the ash dump hole around the hanger shaft as shown. The upper end of the hanger shaft 76 may be reduced to a rectangular stud portion 86 provided with one or more pin holes 88 for registry with holes 90 in a correspondingly grooved hanger shaft extension 85, the lower end of which slides telescopically over the stud portion 86.

The base frame may be open at the front, and its base flange 50 may be continuous all the way around the ash pit as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, so as to retain its strength, and yet provide for a fully open front on the ash pit, where a separate closure slab or door may be used, when only occasional full access thereto may be desired from the front.

The hanger shaft extension may be provided with a single pair of bracket rods 74 swinging out from opposite sides on pivoted links 92, as shown in FIG. 20, or two pairs of such bracket rods may be provided to swing in axial planes at right angles to each other, as shown in FIGS. 5, 6, 18 and 19. A lock collar 94 may be used to hold the bracket rods swung out against the inside of the chimney by adjusting its notches 96 down over the links 92 and tightening the wing set screws against the shaft extension 85 to lock it in place.

Many obvious modifications in the details of construction may be made in combinations illustrated without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A movable ready built fireplace including a pair of side walls joined by a horizontal firebox floor, spaced above the bottom of said side walls to form an ash pit space below it,

said floor having an ash dump hole for dumping ashes into the ash pit,

said ash dump hole being substantially aligned vertically with the center of gravity of said fireplace, and

a hanger attachment adapted for connection to said fireplace, and comprising a lift plate for placing under said floor and having a hanger shaft adapted to extend through said ash dump hole with a threaded lower portion and a washer plate over it and a wing nut on said threaded portion adapted for clamping said washer plate over the top of said floor to stabilize the fireplace during handling operations, when the fireplace is lifted into the air,

the upper portion of said hanger shaft having means for suspension to a lifting and moving means.

2. A fireplace and hanger attachment combination as defined in claim 1,

said fireplace further including a chimney portion substantially alined with said ash dump hole, and

said upper portion of the hanger shaft also having bracket means swingable against the sides of said chimney to further stabilize said fireplace on said hanger attachment.

3. A movable ready built fireplace comprising a base frame having a support platform with a substantially central opening and sides extending downwardly from said platform to form an ash pit space therebetween with an outwardly extending base flange around the bottom of said sides, front and back of said space,

a pair of side walls built over said base flange and against said sides, and extended upwardly to form the sides of a firebox space,

a firebox floor extending over said platform between said side walls and having an ash dump hole registering with said central opening, and

hanger means having a lift plate adapted for attachment under said platform through said central opening to lift said fireplace along an axis substantially vertically aligned with its center of gravity, thus providing substantial stability of said fireplace on said hanger means during its suspension from moving apparatus,

said hanger means including clamp means adjustable downwardly over said firebox floor to stabilize said fireplace on said lift plate.

4. A combination as defined in claim 3,

said fireplace further comprising a chimney portion built over the top of said firebox space and extending substantially in vertical alignment with the center of gravity and said central opening, and

said hanger means extending through said chimney, and

further including adjustable brackets swinging outwardly from said hanger means for bracing against opposite sides of said chimney to further stabilize said fireplace.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,161,914 11/1915 Wayland 126-120 1,491,174 4/1924 Schweiger.

6 10/1924 Stockfleth et al 294-67 X 4/1929 Hall 126-120 X 1/1938 Fogerty et al 126-120 2/1948 Pospisil. 10/1950 Bronson 29467 12/1955 Paolella 126-25 OTHER REFERENCES Prekast publication, all pages, published by Pre-Kast 10 Fireplace Corporation, California, Received August 28,

FREDERICK KETTERER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A MOVABLE READY BUILT FIREPLACE INCLUDING A PAIR OF SIDE WALLS JOINED BY A HORIZONTAL FIREBOX FLOOR, SAPCED ABOVE THE BOTTOM OF SAID SIDE WALLS TO FORM AN ASH PIT SPACE BELOW IT, SAID FLOOR HAVING AN ASH DUMP HOLE FOR DUMPING ASHES INTO THE ASH PIT, SAID ASH DUMP HOLE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY ALIGNED VERTICALLY WITH THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF SAID FIREPLACE, AND A HANGER ATTACHMENT ADAPTED TO FOR CONNECTION TO SAID FIREPLACE, AND COMPRISING A LIFT PLATE FOR PLACING UNDER SAID FLOOR AND HAVING A HANGER SHAFT ADAPTED TO EXTEND THROUGH SAID ASH DUMP HOLE WITH A THREADED LOWER PORTION AND A WASHER PLATE OVER IT AND A WING NUT ON SAID THREADED PORTION ADAPTED FOR CLAMPING SAID WASHER PLATE OVER THE TOP OF SAID FLOOR TO STABILIZE THE FIREPLACE DURING HANDLING OPERATIONS, WHEN THE FIREPLACE IS LIFTED INTO THE AIR, THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID HANGER SHAFT HAVING MEANS FOR SUSPENSION TO A LIFTING AND MOVING MEANS. 